


Good Surprise

by ami_ven



Series: Home on the Range (Wild West AU) [7]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Western, Community: mcsheplets, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 04:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13227795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: Rodney hadn’t had a lot of experience with good surprises, until John came along.





	Good Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #270 "the other side of the deadline XI" (#258 "luxury")

Not long after John had moved into Rodney’s cabin, he’d begun taking over all of Rodney’s correspondence. The inventor did nothing to stop him – he’d always considered the buyers for his designs to be a necessary evil, and John seemed more than willing to take on this chore, too. Rodney never read the letters John wrote, but the ones he received from even his earliest clients were more pleasant and professional than they ever had been before.

Rodney didn’t usually pay much attention to those letters, though, skimming through the boring social pleasantries to find the requirements or changes for the designs he was working on. But, one afternoon, he was half-way through a letter from the Carter Railroad Company when he came to a halt, frowning.

“Sheppard?” he called.

John, who had been flipping through the new Sears & Roebuck catalogue, didn’t look up. “Yeah?”

“What’s this?”

“Letter from Carter’s,” he said, turning another page. “Least, that’s what it said on the envelope.”

“I can see that,” said Rodney. “I mean, what is this part written here, about them sending a package?”

John’s expression brightened for a second, then he caught himself and shrugged. “Nothing. Probably train parts, or something.”

“Train parts,” Rodney repeated. “What are you up to, Sheppard?”

“It’s a surprise,” the former soldier said, and refused to say anything else.

For the next week, Rodney tried everything to get the secret out of him – asking nicely, demanding an answer, asking first thing in the morning before John had his first cup of coffee, even once right in the middle of sex – but every time, John just smiled and repeated that it was a surprise.

“It’s a good surprise,” he added, a few nights later, when Rodney had huffed and rolled away from him in bed. John pressed a kiss just below the inventor’s ear. “At least, I hope it will be good. I just… this is _your_ work, Rodney, I only help out, and I wanted to do something nice for you.”

Rodney rolled over quickly. “Are you _kidding_ me?” he demanded. “I couldn’t do any of this without you.”

“You did just fine before me,” said John, softly.

“I existed before you,” Rodney corrected. “I was… you have no idea how much better my designs are now, with you. Not just that I can do more, with your help, my work is just better, you make _me_ better.”

“Rodney…”

“I just don’t like not knowing things. I suppose I haven’t had too many good surprises in my life.”

John’s expression softened. “What about me?”

“You were the _best_ surprise,” said Rodney, and leaned up to kiss him. “I can wait until your secret surprise package arrives. Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll like it.”

The supply train arrived the following week, carrying several crates marked for Rodney – one of which _was_ a train component for him to evaluate – and a smaller one stamped with John’s name. The former soldier grinned and loaded it onto their wagon, and Rodney just managed to contain his curiosity until they got home.

“Well?” he demanded, as John set the box on their kitchen table and pulled off the lid.

Whatever was inside was packed with straw, wrapped in burlap, in a metal box that was – 

“Cold,” said Rodney, surprised. “It’s cold!”

John grinned. “I’ll have to tell Carter it worked. It’s an experimental refrigeration thing, ice in a vacuum-sealed container. They wanted to test a new product, and I wanted to be sure it wouldn’t melt.”

“Sure what wouldn’t melt?”

Instead of answering, John pried open the lid of the metal container. Inside was a half-melted mixture of ice and water, surrounding a package sealed in oilcloth. John unwrapped it, then presented the box to Rodney.

He read the brightly-colored package. “Chocolate?” he read.

John nodded. “It’s something new. It’s like the chocolate you drink, except it’s a solid, with sugar already in it. You eat it just like that.”

“You…” Rodney began, then gave up in favor of pulling open the wrapper. He broke off a tiny corner and popped it into his mouth. “Wow.”

“Good surprise?” asked John, and Rodney pulled him in for a chocolate-flavored kiss.

THE END


End file.
